EA has shut down Visceral Games

[casterofdreams]

Discuss.

I personally was saddened simply because, on of the the potential loss of jobs (they say that personnel would be moved to other projects), I was a fan of the studio as a whole.

I've played Dead Space 1 and 2 a few times. I even hold Dead Space 3 fairly high. Loved the series to pieces. Even though they did not develop it, the XBLA game DS: Ignition was pretty fun. I haven't played the light gun game (that they did develop) but I should pick it up in the future.

I also remember the work they did with 007: Agent Under Fire and Night Fire. Those were pretty great 007 games. Lastly the Wii port of The Godfather was excellent.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Definitely believe this deserves its own thread. I posted something in the Random Gaming Thoughts thread, but will repost it here.

With the statement put out, it is all about the Amy Hennig Star Wars game. They talk about it being a linear narrative single player game and after testing determined there was no player retention and game longevity. That me and the game didn't have a multiplayer mode and that is what people wanted.

There definitely was a huge conflict on the games vision. EA wanted one thing and Hennig wanted another and the endless struggle caused a huge dent in the project.

The assets will be used in a game made by a different team most likely with the same general premise.

[casterofdreams]

The way it was described in some of the articles that I've read I would've probably wanted the original vision for that Star Wars game. A linear Single player game with a focused narrative. Not what EA has in mind, which I do hate to assume but, would most likely be a multiplayer and micro-transaction game.

I don't think I'm off base with that assumption but who knows at this point.

[Gunstar Green]

I also remember the work they did with 007: Agent Under Fire and Night Fire. Those were pretty great 007 games.

Also Everything or Nothing and From Russia With Love.

Everything or Nothing might actually be my favorite 007 game.

[Exhuminator]

Considering the studio started in 1998 (with the release of Future Cop: LAPD), they had a pretty good run relatively speaking. Still sucks to see a studio closed own. The best games I've played by Visceral were; The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Dead Space: Extraction, and Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel. I own the other Dead Space games, just haven't played them yet.

Their legacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visceral_ ... _developed

[Xeogred]

Fuck EA.

Dead Space is my second favorite franchise from last gen after Souls. I had already given up on getting a 4th game anyways. RIP.

I can't put much into words between my rage right now.

Bioware and Remedy are probably next or will become support studios. Prepare for nothing but shit Star Wars games and Battlefield from here on out from EA. Oh, I guess Bioware is doing that dumb looking Destiny-like. Sorry not sorry but these games and their ilk are not for me at all. I like single player games and considering how EA didn't give a shit about Mass Effect and Andromeda's quality control or budget, they are done with single player. AAA gaming is fucked. Good riddance, makes it easier for me to ignore the Disney sized publishers and boycott them.

Between this and the pay to win loot box situation with Battlefront 2, I sincerenly hope anyone here or everywhere who was thinking of buying that game takes a moment to critically think about their actions and investments. I will not support them.

Anyways, they were a big talented team. I am sure they will find other homes and maybe a good indie studio will come out of this from them.

[Blu]

I loved Agent Under Fire. Between it and Tomorrow Never Dies (Not Visceral), those are my two favorite Bond games. It's a shame to see Visceral go down like this. Whether it was EA politics at work, it's still a shame. I loved Dead Space, and it's one of the scariest, most atmospherically chilling games I've played last generation, so it's sad to see them go down this way.

I particularly haven't cared about EA and their poor service as of late. I echo much of Xeo's sentiments on this. Loot crates as a way to progress in a game is absolutely asinine and they won't get any business from me. If you particularly enjoy a series that's in the hands of EA, I feel quite bad that this happens to you. They murdered Battlefront, and hopefully they get their act together.

[Segata]

Never played anything they made honestly but it is tiring to hear EA keep shooting these devs in the back of the head. I think many people are just expecting the announcement any day now Bioware is shut down as well.

[Xeogred]

How much garbage can you stuff in your mouth?

[dsheinem]

This is a good decision, financially speaking, and you can hardly blame EA for wanting to move in the direction they are apparently moving. Visceral’s last few outings were financial busts, and this is often the consequence of that failure in an industry that shifts as rapidly as games.


25% of game industy digital revenue last year came from players paying for in-game content post-launch that provided long-term sustainabilty (instead of just single-player stories). Despite naysayers, there is no “pay-to-win” dynamic at work in stuff like Overwatch, Destiny, or PUBG. Spending all the money in the world on loot boxes/engrams/etc. would not give me even a minor edge in playing those games in any mode. Many games with prominent loot box systems (e.g. Destiny 2, Injustice 2, Shadows of War, etc.) have fully functional and “traditional” single player experiences as well.

If Visceral wasn’t interested in doing these kind of things, especially after their recent flops, they did so at their own peril. Smart move, EA.